Pups at War
Summary (Continuation Postponed) When a seemingly friendly game of capture-the-flag escalates into an aggressive competition for total dominance and bloody revenge, the PAW Patrol must determine the fine line between reality and illusion before total chaos breaks loose. Story Chapter 1 The green and yellow passenger locomotive rumbled into the train station. Fumes from its metal wheels made a grand Hollywood entrance. A wail so vociferous glass jugs could be shattered by the noise kilometers away blared from its horn. Gradually, the lumbering vehicle came to a halt. The PAW Patrol was waiting for their expected passenger, a close friend of theirs who had saved two of the members during the fire at the Lookout and rescued the team from vicious kidnappers. He was Talon, the security Pup for Ryder's parents and former Army canine commando. If the Almighty created a woofing being with combat experience and humorous childishness, Talon would be it. When the smoke cleared, the PAW Patrol came forwards to the train. As if on a cue, one of the doors slid open, and Talon leaped out. Instantly, Chase yelped happily and tackled him down. "Talon, it's been so long since we've last seen each other!" he barked gleefully, "We missed you so …I mean, uh…glad to have you back with us!" "Me too, mates." the Doberman-bloodhound hybrid replied in his unmistakable British accent. He had donned on an eye-patch, a security vest and a white Yankees baseball cap. With a push, he brought the two of them back onto their paws. Then, the rest of the PAW Patrol crowded around to give their warmest welcomes. "Welcome back to Adventure Bay!" "How are Wyder's parents?" "Did you bring me one of your missile launchers?" "Wow, you got so much more muscles," Marshall gaped in awe, "they make you look very tough!" "It's all part of the job, mates. And who are these two?" He gestured towards a grayish-blue husky Pup and a Hispanic boy wearing a cowboy hat. "That's Tundra", Ryder smiled as he scratched her behind the ear. Confidently, Tundra shook Talon's outstretched paw. "Hello, I'm Tundra. I've heard so much about you!" "So did I, mate. Are you the PAW Patrol's newest addition? By the looks of your uniform, you must be the snow specialist!" Tundra broke into a huge grin from ear to ear. The security Pup really did notice her winter-themed badge and uniform. She cherished her role as a proud member of the protectors of Adventure Bay. "That's awesome, mate! Looking forwards to seeing you in action." then Talon turned towards the other unfamiliar face, the Hispanic boy, "And you are…?" "I'm Carlos, Ryder's pen pal from South America. I'm also visiting." "South America," Talon repeated as if he was thinking about the diverse continent, "I've been there a few times, mate. Wonderful place. A good chunk of my past training and duties took place there." "Actually?" Carlos's eyes widened, "Did you speak Spanish?" "Most certainly, mate!" Soon enough, they had fired on a full-out conversation in Spanish like long-lost friends while the rest stared, dumbstruck. It ended quickly with laughter and a bear hug. "Well, what are we waiting for?" exclaimed Ryder, "let's head back to the Lookout, have lunch and talk some more!" Chapter 2 "So mates, what do you want to do?” The Pups were lying around at the pool. The sky was plastered with a beautiful array of autumn hues. It was the second day of Talon's visit. Apart from the odd rescues here and there and meaningless rounds of Pup Pup Boogie, nothing interesting happened. Ryder was away with Carlos on a hike. With time passing slowly like a snail, they simply were bored out of their minds. "I don't know," quipped Marshall with his tongue hanging out, "I'm so bored!" "Same here." agreed Rocky dully. "Me three." Rubble blurted, "Talon, do you know anything we can do?" Talon thought for a brief moment, then lit up. A cheeky grin bore into his face, "How about a game of capture-the-flag, mates?” "That would be gweat," cried Zuma, "Though I have no idea what is its!" "I've never played capture-the-flag before too," Tundra admitted meekly, "How do we play?" "Basically, there are two teams, with their own base, which can be a building of some sort far away from the other, and their own flag, which has to be displayed above visibly above the base. You Pups following?" "Yeah!" squealed Rocky, "this game sounds fun already! What are the other rules?" "The goal is to take the other team's flag from the base and bring it back to their base. If that happens, the team with the opponent's flag will earn a point. If he is touched by an opposing player, the flag is returned. The game stops when a team scores three points." "Sounds like fun," said Ryder, unexpectedly coming up from behind. "A good, friendly match of capture-the-flag is an awesome idea!" "I couldn't agree more," added on Carlos, who was with the PAW Patrol leader, "I haven't it since I was little!" "Alright, mates," barked Talon, "let's start right away. We need to divide ourselves up into even teams. I'll be one of the team captains, who wants to be the other?" "I'll be the other team captain," Chase stepped up to the security Pup, then turned to the rest of the PAW Patrol, "Let's flip a coin to see who gets the first pick for a player. Talon will be heads, and I'll be tails." Ryder obediently withdrew a quarter from his pocket. He flicked it into the air, watched it flip like an Olympic diver and land back onto his hand. "It's heads, Talon gets the first pick!" Ryder announced, "Who will you choose first?" "I pick my mate Carlos." Talon said. The Hispanic boy propped his paw happily and remained by his side. "Chase, you're next." "Ryder." Like Carlos, Ryder stepped up to Chase, high-fived him, and waited there patiently. "Rocky." "Skye." "Marshall." "Zuma." "Rubble." "Tundra." Now everybody had been selected. On Talon's team stood Carlos, Rocky, Marshall and Rubble. On Chase's team were Ryder, Skye, Zuma and Tundra. Without delay, they both broke into separate huddle. Muffled conversations were heard. Then as quickly as it began, they disintegrated. "Our base will be at Mr. Porter's café, mates." Talon spoke up. "Ours will be at Farmer Yumi's barn." retaliated Chase, giving Talon a competitive glare. "Every team has to have a name. What's yours mate?" "Uh, I haven't thought of one yet…" Apparently, the police Pup hadn't invented a team name during the huddle. Seeing no other choice, Ryder bent down and whispered something into his ear. The German Sheppard shrugged, "Our name will be Team Alpha. Not very exciting, but that isn't the objective of the game, is it?" "Fair enough, mates," replied Talon, "I admire your honesty, so therefore I name ourselves Team Bravo. Now, let's head back home to discuss plans. Capture-the-flag will start tomorrow at the crack of dawn." "At the crack of dawn?" Skye raised an eyebrow, "That's way too early!" "Fine, how about nine sharp? No excuses of any sort, mates. Good luck to you, Chase, and may the better team win." Just as the two teams were about to merge, the police Pup cleared his throat, "And one last thing, rigs and other equipment are allowed, as long as nobody is hurt by them. I'm sure Talon will approve of that. It'll make the game a whole lot more interesting..." Chapter 3 Back at the Lookout under the night sky, Talon was discussing the game plan with his team. The attentive gaze of Carlos, Rocky, Marshall and Rubble were trained on him as he proceeded with his lecture. "Capture-the-flag is all about the planning, mates," started the security Pup, "A bad plan will almost result a loss. A good plan will do the opposite." "So we need a good one! But what is it?" questioned Carlos, not sure if Talon was bluffing about his professionalism or not. "I'll get to it, mate. First, we'll have to examine the map of the town and make ourselves familiar with every possible route between bases." Talon quickly exited to his battle tank rig before returning with a projector. Setting it up the topographic map of Adventure Bay was displayed on the side of his rig. The town was essentially a donut-shaped island, with a large ovular lake in the center. The northern half was dominated by snow and mountains, while the southern was saturated with forests and human settlements. "This is Adventure Bay." Talon instructed, "Our base is located at Mr. Porter's café," He pointed at a green dot on the far West, then to a red dot on the direct opposite to the East. "Team Alpha's base is Farmer Yumi's barn, mates, located at this red dot." continued Talon, "There are three possible ways to get from there to here." He scribbled on the image with a marker and drew three arrows: one reaching from base to base directly across the lake, one curving around the lake towards the snow and mountains and one curving around the lake towards the forests and human settlements. "Route number one, mates, is across the lake. Route number two is around the lake and through Jake's mountain, and route number three is around the lake as well and through downtown Adventure Bay." The other members leaned closer and squinted to have a better look. Slowly, beams of relief formed on their faces. Talon indeed was a smart planner! "Nice thinking, Talon," complimented Marshall, "Can we go through these routes easily?" "Unfortunately mates, Team Alpha is able to use them better. Tundra and Zuma both conquer routes two and one. The rest can ride through route three. Which means we have to outsmart them somehow." Talon explained. "How are we going to do that?" Rubble asked skeptically. No doubt, their team leader had jaw-dropping preparations, but their opponents apparently were more suited to it than they were. "No worry, mates, we'll match them with our own advantages. Rubble can carve a path in Jake's mountain. Marshall can scuba-dive to counter Zuma, and Rocky and Carlos cover the downtown area. I'll deal with all three routes." clarified Talon, "Also we have more useful equipment." "What do you mean by more useful?" Rocky questioned. Talon rolled his eyes; clearly his team was 99% rookies. Nevertheless, he was here to teach, "You see, mates, Marshall's EMT gear is able to treat any types of injuries. Carlos's cell phone makes a handy communication device. Also, all sorts of traps can be made from Rocky's recycled bits." "Traps?" his team cried shockingly. Serious injuries would be inevitable with traps lying everywhere. It would become a worse nightmare come true for the Dalmatian. Talon was going way too far with this! "Traps are very helpful in capture-the-flag, mates." admitted Talon, who wasn't surprised by their shocked reactions, "By delaying the time it takes for them to get to their base if they have our flag, we'll have enough time to take it back!" "That's…actually very smart!" "I couldn't agree more!" "We'll win this with no trouble!" "Start up your rigs and ready your equipment, mates," Talon commanded. In his head, he was celebrating his first victory already. His team was beginning to understand the need to win. The need to beat the other team, then celebrate joyously, whatever the costs. And this desperation will be what drives his team to ultimate victory. Meanwhile, Team Alpha was discussing their plan. Unaware of Talon's efforts to progress the game into a violent competition, Chase decided to shrug off the match as fun. Never would he have thought that that was going to cost him his reputation later on. And coincidently, his plan was eerily similar to Talon's. "I've figured three ways we can get from Farmer Yumi's barn to Mr. Porter's café." began Chase while drawing out the paths out of his own map, "And it appears like we'll dominate two of them. The paths through the ski resort and the lake are clearly ours." "Awesome!" Tundra exclaimed enthusiastically, "Nobody can get through Jake's mountain like I can!" "Dude, who knows more about the water than me?" yelped Zuma as he high-fived Tundra. The pair would be incredibly priceless to the team. "Exactly," the team leader agreed, "And we are able to go through the skies too without resistance, thanks to Skye!" "We are going to win this game!" finalized Ryder as he jumped up thrillingly and pumped his fist in the air like a revolutionist, "Team Bravo will never see us coming!" One by one, each Pup put in one paw in a tight circle on top of each other. After Ryder put his hand in, Chase began to chant. "On the count to three, one, two, three, TEAM ALPHA!" The entire team erupted into a storm of applause and cheers, before departing back to the Lookout to prepare their equipment, eager to commence capture-the-flag the next morning. Chapter 4 "Y'all ready, mates?" Talon inspected his team as he strode amongst them. The Pups were all in their PAW Patrol uniforms and seated attentively in their rigs. Carlos had changed into jungle camouflage fatigues, with a Sombrero hat, sharp sunglasses, a utility belt and what looked like a machete sheath. The leader himself resembled a hardcore Special Forces commando. Donned on his well-built body was black ballistic armor, a rugged Pup Pack and an ultramodern headpiece similar to Chase's spy helmet. His battle tank rig, a large eight-wheeled AFV with anti-radar designs, retractable hood and deadly combat fixtures rested beside him. "LET'S DO THIS, TEAM BRAVO!" his team shouted back. Chase was wearing his standard police uniform, and suddenly felt regrettable after catching sight of Talon's badass attire. Nevertheless, he didn't beat a sweat. Beside him was Ryder idling in his ATV, and surrounded by the rest of the team in their vehicles. Skye hovered like a lazy bee overhead. Hesitantly, Talon and Chase confronted each other face-to-face. Beaming devilishly, the security Pup extended a paw. "May the better team win," stated the police Pup smugly and promptly shook Talon's outstretched paw. "Agreed, mate," Talon said, "I'm sure you and your team are accustomed the rules of capture-the-flag by now." "We are," replied Chase. Then he checked his watch, "It's eight right now. How about let's all head to our bases, set up and start in an hour? " "Sounds good, mate," answered Talon, "We'll go easy on you." Before Chase could angrily retaliate, Talon dissolved the paw-shake and drove off with his team. The insult strangled his heart. He and his comrades were being taken for as clueless beginners! Even though all except him were new to capture-the-flag, Chase was determined on not making a foolish first impression. He should show them. Cussing under his breath, Chase went over to his team. They looked straight at him, and instantly he knew they needed to rely on him as a responsible and victorious team leader. "Let's go." he commanded. Right away, the team revved up their vehicle's engines and stopped. Realizing they were waiting for him, Chase embarrassingly bounced into his police rig and led the way to their base. Neither side had noticed Alex and Mr. Porter in their van, who were silently eavesdropping from a good distance away. Surprised by the scene of a fully-uniformed PAW Patrol in the middle of town, they decided to learn what was going on. What they had just heard was unexpected, an unusual start to their week-long road trip. "Grandpa, what's capture-the-flag?" asked Alex curiously. "I don't know, Alex," the old man sighed, "but for the first time, I've having this strange gut feeling that that game they are playing isn't going to be good." Chapter 5 Beep! Beep! Beep! Without delay, Team Alpha quieted down from their noisy preparations for a last briefing. Their eyes were glued on Chase, who had naturally changed into his navy blue spy uniform. Farmer Yumi's barn rested behind him and their team flag, which was essentially all their badge organized into a circle against a navy blue background, flapped on the weather vane. "You Pups know the drill. Tundra, go through Jake's mountain. Skye, fly across the forest. Zuma, go across the lake. Ryder and I will drive through Main Street. Whoever gets to Team Bravo's base first will wait until all of us have arrived, then take the flag. The rest will protect him or her." "Let's do this!" Ryder bellowed and pumped his fist in the air as soon as Chase finished. The Pups erupted into a storm of barks and squeals. "Team Alpha, go!" Immediately, Tundra J-turned with her snowmobile and left in a snowstorm. Zuma speeded to the docks and slashed into the water. Skye somersaulted into her helicopter and flew away. Lastly, Chase and Ryder boarded their vehicles and drove to the bustling town. Cruising down the street, the wind whipped past Chase's fur like a nice hair blowing at Katie's. He longed for a pleasurable treatment there, but couldn't spare even a second for that. Yet his concentration continued to drift off. Thoughts of doggie kibbles, Little Hooty and Santa Claus ran through his mind. "I see no signs of Team Bwavo players here in the lake.” Zuma lisped over the radio, "Does anyone see them?" "No trace here in the snow." "Same up here." "How can that be?" retorted the German Sheppard, "It's like fifteen minutes into the game already! Team Bravo must be up to something! " "Maybe they're still back at their base?" "Impossible, they should be as into this as we are!" "Let's just continue on," suggested Ryder, trying to calm down the team leader. Chase remained silent for a second or too. The radio was also quiet, except for the static crackling. "Okay Team Alpha, just be careful and aware of your surroundings. We will win this." Chase shut off the connections and sighed a breath of relief. But deep in his heart, he also felt the gnaw of uncertainty. What happens if it was really all planned out? Had they done something wrong before embarking? Sighing again, Chase checked his spy rig's control panel. The score was ominous, zero to zero. He desired it to be one to zero very soon in their favor. Maybe it will even continue on to three to zero. A quick victory would show Talon not to go easy on them. 'Just wait and see,' he thought, 'Just wait and see.' Unsuspectingly, Chase and Ryder whizzed past the eyes of a Team Bravo member. Carlos was resting peacefully on a tree branch far away, holding up heat-detecting binoculars. Upon noticing them, he broke into a small grin and brought up his satellite phone. "Talon, they're coming.” "Nice observations mate," replied the team leader, "I'd expected Chase to lead the way like this. Marshall and I have scuba-dived across the lake and are now behind the barn with our rigs. Meet up with us as soon as possible." "Will do, Talon." With a skilful leap, Carlos landed on the mushy forest ground. Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable chopping of an approaching copter. Quickly dropping down, Carlos was as still as a sloth as the noise grew louder, then went away. Again, he was immersed in the passive silence of the forest. "What was that mate?" "Skye's helicopter. She just passed right above my position, luckily without noticing me. " "I swear, mate, why are Chase's plans so predictable? Anyways, come here quick." Carlos chuckled at the team leader's remark, and then he broke into a speedy sprint. Trees, meadows and ponds were a blur as he ran. On the way, his phone rang a second time. Groaning, he stopped and answered it. "Carlos, are they coming yet?" Rocky asked nervously, "It's been like half an hour and they're still not attacking!" He was in charge of defense back at the café, where he had set up traps made from recycled materials all over the perimeter. Yet, he was still anxious about engaging with the enemy. "I saw them coming." replied Carlos, "They should be there soon, but you have to do all you can to stop them. I know you can do it, Rocky." Rocky gulped, "You know what? I think I can do it! I'll take on all of them at once! Over and out!" Carlos smirked; Rocky's quirkiness never failed to amuse him. He started into a sprint again, bounding over rotting logs and mud puddles. Finally, he arrived at Farmer Yumi's barn. Panting heavily, he surveyed the base. The barn appeared dilapidated, with a few farm animals pecking around. Nothing was out of the ordinary. He half expected to walk into an ambush. Abruptly, an excruciating pain ripped through his side, probably from sprinting too fast over a long distance. Ignoring it, Carlos limped towards the barn. Out of the bushes, Talon and Marshall emerged. They went up to the Hispanic boy, then stopped when they noticed his pained smile and limp. Immediately, Marshall bounded to his side and pulled out the X-ray screen from his Pup Pack. Waving it over Carlos's body, the instrument showed no broken bones, but a sizable swelling in his leg muscles. "This is an easy diagnose!"," declared the Marshall happily, “I’ll have it treated right away!" In a blur, he wrapped Carlos's thighs in adhesive gauze. Like magic, Carlos straightened up and stretched. The pain was gone, as if the injury never happened in the first place! He smiled brightly. Marshall's EMT gear was invaluable. "Thanks a lot, Marshall!" said Carlos and scratched the Dalmatian behind the ear. "Good work, mate," added on Talon, "But remember, we're on a tight schedule. Once I retrieve the flag, we'll leave right away." At once, Talon scampered to the barn and hurled himself up by jumping from roof gables and windows stills. Before long, he had reached the weather vane and the flag. The supreme symbol of Team Alpha was waiting right in front of him. In a swift motion, Talon ripped it off and held it high for all to see. His team was indeed going easy, yet he still got the flag! Suddenly, alarms pierced the air. It was disturbingly loud, enough to be heard from kilometers away. Realizing the situation he had idiotically gotten himself into, Talon leaped back down. "We have to leave, mates. There is absolutely no time to spare." Talon instructed before running back to the bushes with Marshall. Carlos caught up to them, unsheathed his machete and cut away some branches and leaves to reveal their rigs. "Hop on, mates." instructed Talon. He and Carlos jumped into his battle tank while Marshall got onto his ambulance. They were ready to escape. Inside of his rig, the team leader flipped a switch, causing the retractable hood to lower over their heads and shut off the outdoors. Instantly, an array of brightly-lit control screens and buttons illuminated the darkness of the spacious cockpit. Carlos's jaws dropped to the floor, clearly amazed. The interior of Talon's rig made the other PAW Patrol's vehicles look incredibly obsolete. Not only that, it was huge. The entire Team Bravo could sit comfortably in here! Looking ahead, he caught sight of the green weaponry panel, which sported the icons of a missile, a combusting fire and a grenade. Outstanding. "Impressed, mate? This is my second baby, after Missy of course." No answer. Carlos was too busy drooling. With a smirk, Talon pawed on the accelerator forcefully and the battle tank surged forward to the road. Marshall's ambulance followed them. Their destination? Jake's mountain. Chapter 6 Meanwhile, Chase and Ryder were on top of a grassy hill with Ryder. At the bottom was Mr. Porter's café. It was surrounded by a neat cluster of shops and other buildings, the perfect ground for an assault from all directions. Directly across them was Skye in her helicopter. To his left was Zuma and to his right was Tundra. Squinting at the café, Chase spotted Rocky. The mix-breed was pacing back and forth, as if he was having an anxiety attack. Then he tracked down Team Alpha's fag, which was erected on the rooftop. He beamed evilly. Talon and his team would soon know the error of going easy on them. "Everybody in their positions?" he spoke through the headset, even though he could faintly see that they were. "We're weady whenever you are, sir." "Great. On the count to three, we attack. One, two -" Suddenly, a low drone interrupted the countdown. Gasping, Chase instantly recognized it. He sprinted back to his spy vehicle and checked the GPS map. The red dashed outlines of a flag flashed at Farmer Yumi's barn. "Darn it!" swore Chase, "They took our flag!" Ryder gasped, "What? How? There's no way they could've pulled that off!" The team leader pondered hard. Was there really no way? Unless…nobody was guarding the flag back at the base! Chase's heart skipped a beat and he almost fainted. What a stupid mistake he had made! He cursed loudly and pounded his paw against the control panel. "Is there something wrong?" asked Tundra worriedly over the radio. "THE FLAG!" Chase screamed at the top of his lungs, "OUR FLAG HAS BEEN TAKEN! RETREAT, RETREAT! " "But the assault -" "FORGET THEIR STUPID FLAG! GO GET OURS!" Without a moment's hesitation, Chase got back into his rig and drove off. Ryder hastily followed. His eyes swept like laser beams on the road ahead and ferociously gnashed his teeth. Even if Team Bravo had the flag at the moment, there was no way he was going to let them through. Seeing the German Sheppard's fierce expression, Ryder sighed. "Team Alpha, abort the assault. Go back where your paths, and start searching our flag from there. They shouldn't have gone with it too far. If you spot it, radio the rest of us, and we'll take our flag back." he ordered fiercely. "I'm down with that, Wyder dude!" "Alright Team Alpha, we're onto it!" Far, far away at Jake's mountain, Talon, Carlos and Marshall got off their vehicles at the side of the road. In front of them was a huge wall of snow. Abruptly, it began to shake violently before collapsing. A gruff bulldog Pup behind the wheels of a yellow bulldozer emerged from the icy remains. "Mate, it's so great to see you!" Talon remarked. Rubble howled cheerfully in response, then jumped out. "I've cleared a path like you said." declared the bulldog, "It's wide enough for even the PAW Patroller to pass through, I believe!" "Fantastic job, mate. Now it's time for the second phase of the plan. Rubble, dig a tunnel through the snow back near here. Carlos and I will come with you. Marshall, stay at this path until I radio you back." said Talon. "Whatever you say, Talon," Marshall replied. Boarding their rigs again, the trio left. The Dalmatian smiled, satisfied with his team's progress so far. Like the others, he set aside all other thoughts, except that of a swift victory. Minutes later, Talon sent over a text message. Startled by the alarm, Marshall hurried over to his ambulance to check it out. Good to go, mate. See you back at base. '' Chuckling, the Dalmatian started up the engine and slowly entered the carved path. The sides were high up, limiting his view to what was in front. The flat and icy bottom was lined with fresh caterpillar track marks. Marshall revved up and his rig plowed effortlessly through. Unfortunately, he was completely unaware of Skye, who was eying him with her binocular goggles high above. She growled angrily into her mike as she carefully followed his ascent. "Tundra, I found the culprit. It's Marshall, and he's traveling through Jake's mountain. Help me catch this idiot and take back our flag. Also, tell the others. We're not going to let him get away." '''Chapter 7' "Marshall's been busted," reported Carlos, "They're taking the bait!" The radar screen in front of him displayed a green dot with a red cross on it being pursued by four red X's. Little by little, the X's started to gain on it. Carlos then turned his gaze to a popup on the side panel which showed the distance between Marshall and the opponent, and the approximate time it would take for him to get caught. “He has only fifty seconds and counting before they're onto him." Carlos added coolly. "Perfect, mate." cooed Talon. Switching the battle tank on autopilot, he crossed the cockpit to look at the screen. Then unexpectedly, his face fell. "How come there are only four enemy positions mate? Where's the fifth one? Where's Chase?" "Wait, let me check out position, just in case." Carlos tapped a button on the screen and the bird's eye view switched to their location. Sure enough, the last red X was right behind them and closing in fast. To make matters worse, the four other enemies joined it. "They're coming after us now! What should we do?" cried the Hispanic boy. The team leader ignored his plead and returned to the driver's seat. "Must've tracked us down before as we went through the tunnel. Just fabulous, mate. Now let's see them eat this!" Talon muttered under his breath as he brought up the green weaponry panel and pressed the icon of the grenade. Two circular latches on the back of the rig opened. A long steel tube poked through each one, locked onto the closest pursuer and fired. Two flaming projectiles soared through the air and were about to crash down of Chase's spy vehicle. The spy Pup's eyes widened in fright. Panic replaced his boiling anger as he instinctively braked. The rest of the pursuers did the same, but it was too late. The grenades exploded. A blinding flash overtook Chase's vision and his fur seared from the shockwave. The tunnel began to crumble, then a gigantic pile of snow broke off from the ceiling and onto the path, blocking it. "We lost them!" Carlos exclaimed. He pumped his fist in the air and started to whoop like a hooligan. "Not quite, mate." Talon said solemnly, "They'll be back. But in the meantime, tell Rubble, Marshall and Rocky we're going to make it back safe and sound." Carlos's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Talon kept boasting about Chase's inexperience as a leader, and now he doubted it? Nevertheless, he pulled out his satellite phone and proceeded to tell the others about the news. Back at the cave-in, Chase awoke. His vision was blurry and his head throbbed painfully, yet he still managed to sit up. His helmet visor was badly fractured and his uniform was ripped here and there. Turning back, he saw a cracked hole in his vehicle's windshield. The sudden braking must have caused him to shoot through it. Fortunately, the snow mound provided a soft cushioning, or else he would've suffered greater injuries than a near concussion. "Chase, Chase, are you okay?" It was Ryder. He ran up to the German Sheppard, and was soon joined by the rest of his team. "I'm fine, I'm fine," the team leader growled and brushed off the snow from his uniform, "Where is Talon and them and our flag?" "They got away." sighed Zuma. The spy Pup froze. It couldn't be. First not posting any guards at their base, and now this? All his planning and predictions was a laughingstock! But on the positive side, there was still time to change the face of the game. One point wasn't the end of the world. They just had to make better decisions and work harder. "I'm so -" "No need for apologies," barked Chase. An infuriated look flashed in his burning eyes. "Talon and his team want to play dirty, huh? We'll play dirty as well. And we're sure aren't going to make him go easy on us ever again." "What do you mean by that?" Skye asked. "We're going to increase our playing style to another level. This is serious matters now, Team Alpha. Anybody who doesn't agree can leave NOW!" Chase waited for a response as he breathed heavily. None of them parted away. They remained in an eerie silence. He could feel their humiliation and their rage. But most of all, Chase sensed a common desire for revenge. "We all know the feeling of revenge now, don't we? Trust me on this, we will get it and triumph over those brainless nimrods. Everybody back to base right now, the next round starts in an hour!" Chapter 8 "Talon, there's a voice message for you!" shouted Marshall. The mix-breed flew into the dimly-lit attic of Mr. Porter's café. Converted into Team Bravo's headquarters, it was to the brim with supercomputers, widescreen monitors, repair kits, extra traps and doggy treat dispensers. Upon hearing Marshall's call, Talon feverishly looked up from the map he was triangulating and groaned. "Who's it from, mate." "I don't know." "Well then mate, receive it." Talon followed Marshall to the main monitor, took a seat on a high stool and flipped a sequence of switches. Right away, the screen saver dissolved to a live video feed. Talon looked up and his jaws dropped. His team members gasped. The Pup whose face filled the screen was terrifyingly familiar. It was Chase. "Godspeed, Talon." the German Sheppard snarled, "I have never, even in my wildest dreams, though a game of capture-the-flag would lead to this." "If you want, mate, we can set the bar lower." "SHUT UP!" Chase shrieked. He got up closer and bared his razor sharp canine teeth. The whole of Team Bravo backed away in sudden fear, except for Talon. "That incident back at Jake's mountain, it drove an invisible dagger of shame into our hearts." "Complain all you want, mate, nobody except you and maybe your team of dumb losers will listen. By the time that happens, the game will be long over. And even if you don't, mate, we still have the upper hand. You'll lose either way." "Newsflash, mate," taunted Chase in a phony British accent, "The bar we set will only go higher and higher up. You think we will back down? Think again. This is the climax. We. Are. At. War." "So you really want to start, mate?" Talon shot back, "Have you forgotten how many years I spent in Army uniform? How much training I endured? How many comrades I lost? You are out of your mind to even think about war!" The security Pup was quivering with rage. Chase had no clue what atrocities he witnessed of war back in the Army. He saw it all: the disemboweled corpses, the ear-splitting shellfire, the unthinkable aftermath. And he had the guts to challenge him to one? “We. Are. At. War." repeated the spy Pup, "It's over for you and Team Bravo now, Talon. Good night." Zip! Chase had shut off the connection and the monitor once again faded into pitch blackness. The anger swelling up inside Talon finally blew up. He howled lividly and punched at the monitor. It crashed down onto the floor, shattering into a million pieces. His teammates stood frozen. Never ever had they seen one of their best friends lose his cool like that. Yet in this time, when war was inevitably near, they had to expect the unexpected at every corner. Then, Talon turned around to face them. He wore a pitiful scowl. "This is it, mates," the team leader began, "We are at war. We can no longer give them the easy treatment. If we do, we risk defeat. Do you want to lose to them?" Talon waited for an answer. There was none momentarily. Then one by one, each of his teammates shook their head. He forced a small grin, pleased with their determination. "If we lower our guard, they eventually will crush us in the dusts. Mates, each second that passes by becomes increasingly critical. We mustn't show weakness and act immediately. Any ideas on what to do now?" "I strongly suggest we focus on base defense for the next round, which begins in less than 30 minutes." declared Carlos bravely, "We still have no idea how they might attack." "Very good, mate, I'll vouch for that. Defensive tactics it is." Gradually, Team Bravo began to file out of the room until Talon was the only one left. He sighed deeply, and then went to the window. He could see his team's flag, an insignia of a flying sword against a shield with the PAW Patrol symbol engraved onto it. Standing tall, he saluted in a moment of respect. Chapter 9 The obscurity of nighttime settled enveloped all of Adventure Bay. The brilliant colors of the short-lived sunset surrendered to bleak shades. Unbelievably, only one round of capture-the-flag had passed earlier since the commencement in the morning. But in a few seconds, the second one would initiate. Synchronized to launch exactly at the start of the second round, the eagle-shaped spy drone on the grassy path near Farmer Yumi's barn took off. It picked up speed, then lifted gently into the sky like a jet plane. Trailing the drone was Skye's pink helicopter. Underneath, dangling on the hook, was Chase, adorning his spy uniform. His stern gaze was fixed on his buzzing drone ahead. It was the newest addition to his spy gear arsenal, and maybe the most advanced. Its main purpose was to map out patches of land passing below with incredible details. "Estimated time of arrival is about three minutes, " The cockapoo pilot spoke over Chase's headset, "Data from the spy drone is syncing to your helmet. Everybody in Adventure Bay is asleep except for us, for obvious purposes. This is the perfect time to capture their flag." "I got it, Skye," Chase chuckled, "Might not currently be the best idea to share with you, but I seriously wish Talon and I were on the same team." "Why?" "His leadership skills are excellent. He had experiences with these ops back in the Army. And let's not forget our strong bond before this," exclaimed the German Sheppard, "but since we're kind of arch rivals because of this ongoing game, there's really no flipping way that can happen." Eerie silence. Chase sighed. He regretted telling Skye his personal thoughts of their opponent's leader. It tainted his own confidence and leadership, as well as what his team thought of him as a leader. "It's alright, Chase. When this is all over, I'm positive the tension between everybody will return back to normal." "I hope. Let's just wish for us just to work hard, give our best shot and declare ourselves the champions of capture-the-flag. By the way, are we there yet?" "Yep. I'll deploy you beside Katie's salon. Get to the café ASAP. Grab the flag and run back to Town Hal without being seen, where I will be rendezvousing. Your spy drone will constantly feed you with info about your surroundings." "Laugh out loud, Skye, you're just basically telling me what I've been discussing about back at base!" "I know, just making sure. Anyways, good luck, and may the better planned team, in this case, us, win." The aircraft halted, and Chase felt himself being lowered. Glancing down, the bright neon lights of Katie's salon produced halos against his night-vision goggles. Thankfully that was all he had to worry about at the current moment. Before he knew it, his paws finally touched the ground. Unhooking the line, the hook was retracted and the helicopter flew away. Chase exhaled deeply. This would be his team's first, and hopefully only chance to tie up the score. His helmet's automatically labeled everything around him. Flying not too high above was his spy drone, its green nose light blinking continuously. With caution, Chase crept to the pizza parlor, which was beside the salon. After reaching the alleyway, the spy Pup hastily clopped up the parlor using his suction boots. Once he had reached the rooftop, he started to leap to the roof of the next building, intending to find a place where he would have a clear view of Mr. Porter's café. In the nick of time, Mr. Porter's café loomed into Chase's eyes. It was unsurprisingly closed, the outdoor garden locked up and vegetables put away. His goggles detected no signs of the balding restaurant and shop keeper, nor his hyper grandson. Team Bravo's flag, a black banner of Talon's badge, was secured to a pole on the gables of the café. "Zip line!" he barked quietly. The zip line canon popped up onto his shoulder. Directing the aiming reticules to the higher building next to the cafe, Chase barked again. The zip hook flew out and latched itself spot-on. The spy Pup breathed in relief, and suctioned his end of the line to the roof he was on. Gathering up his courage, Chase vaulted himself down the zip line. The breeze rushed past his fur and everything shot past in a messy blur. At exactly the right timing, the German Sheppard reached out and grabbed the pole. At last, Team Bravo's flag was rightfully in his paws! Upon reaching the other building, Chase rapidly unzipped the line. Then he leaped down and took off for the rendezvous point at Town Hall. Earsplitting alarms would sound the moment the flag was misplaced, so Chase knew he had to devise a quick escape. "Skye," he huffed into his mike while bounding over a garbage bin, "I got the flag! Are you at the rendezvous point?" "Affirmative, Chase," replied the cockapoo anxiously, "Hurry up, I don't want you getting captured!" Chase suddenly felt his back fur tingle uncontrollably and stand up stiff as a twig. His guts told him something pretty big was going to smash into him any second. Instinctively, the German Sheppard combat rolled into some bushes and remained there, as quiet as a mouse. Suddenly, there was a loud crash, followed by a piercing thunder-like clap. Chase peeked out and examined the smothering pothole in the middle of an intersection. He recognized the wreckage, it was his spy drone! "…I love the traps you're setting, Rocky…the makeshift catapult just blasted that darned metal piece of junk out of the sky…" Chase recognized that voice, it was Carlos! He blatantly revealed that Rocky was the one behind his destroyed spy drone. The spy Pup gnashed his teeth in anger. How dare one of his fellow PAW Patroller permanently screw up one of his prized gadgets? "…Mates, no time for chit chat…we have to find the flag…" Only the leader of Team Bravo would have that distinctively accented English. One more person to add to the search party. Chase broke into a cold sweat. If they did find him hiding defenselessly in the bushes, he would certainly be screwed over. He was trespassing in enemy territory. Nevertheless, Chase was so close to tying up the match! Accepting the risk, the spy Pup peered through the bushes. On the opposite street across the street was the trio of Team Bravo players. They seemed to be searching intensely, overturning trash cans, shining flashlights into storefronts and looking around every now and then with binoculars. Chase swallowed hard, rolled out and began to sprint. Ahead was Town Hall and his ride home! "Chase, are you okay?" "I'm good, be there soon. See you at Town Hall." The team leader quickly brushed away Skye's anxiety. He didn't need the aviation Pup to worry about him. "There is the flag and the thief! Get him!" The fear welling up inside exploded. Chase ran even faster. Behind him, he could sense galloping steps. Suddenly, the German Sheppard was enclosed in a net, causing him to trip snout-first onto the pavement. Seconds later, volts of electricity lashed through his body. Whimpering, Chase stopped crawling. "Give us back our flag, Chase, and we'll let you go anymore scratches." growled Rocky menacingly as he approached the German Sheppard. He was then joined by Carlos, who cringed at the sight of a partially electrocuted Chase, and Talon, who retreated his smoking net launcher back into his Pup Pack. "Taste some of this first!" And with that, Chase injected himself with an artificial adrenaline with all his remaining energy. Instantly, he felt better and life began to return to his muscles. Ripping the net away, he spun around and fired thrice with his tennis ball launcher. The balls buried themselves into Rocky's temple, knocking his baseball cap away. The mix-breed's eyes rolled back, then his body twisted around and flopped down hard. The two other Team Bravo players froze. Realizing his chance, Chase tossed a flash grenade. A blinding flash engulfed Carlos and knocked him out cold as well. The spy Pup brought himself back onto his paws and broke into a sprint once more. Talon was right behind his tail. "You'll never get away with this, mate!" the security Pup snarled angrily. "We'll see about that, brother," yelped the German Sheppard. As if on a cue, a hook latched onto his Pup Pack and lifted him in the air. Looking up, he saw the undercarriage of Skye's helicopter. "Gotcha Chase. I always had this gut feeling you're not going to stick with plans." She said over the headset. "I know, but I really appreciate your help!" responded Chase out-of-breath. Turning back down, the shrinking security Pup had halted and was staring him right in the eye. "IT'S NOT OVER YET, MATE!" Talon howled at the top of his lungs and proceeded to fire his missile launcher. But before long, he entirely vanished from Chase's view. The weapon's range couldn't hit them. They'd successfully escaped. The pink helicopter with a German Sheppard dangling below, concealed by the night, returned back to Farmer Yumi's barn. Very soon, the score turned into a tie, one to one. Chapter 10 TO BE CONTINUED SOMEDAY. AND YES, I'M GOING TO USE EVEREST.'''' Should I continue? Yes No Who do you think is the better leader? Talon Chase